Differences between Dyslexic and Non-Dyslexic Students in the Performance of Spatial and Geographical Thinking

Year 2019, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 284 - 303, 31.08.2019

Aikaterini Klonarı Anthoula Styliani Passadelli

https://doi.org/10.33403/rigeo.510360

Abstract

Dyslexia is a specific form of learning disability
which comes along with diverse difficulties, both in learning and in social and
emotional fields. It obstructs the development of the individual at all levels
of education. This research investigates students’
spatial and geographical thinking and whether there is differentiation of these
abilities between dyslexic and non-dyslexic ones. For this purpose, 50
questionnaires were distributed to 25 dyslexic
and 25 non-dyslexic students aged 14. To implement this research, opportunity sampling from different areas
(rural, urban) was used. The questionnaire included spatial thinking exercises  like mental rotation, plan views, shapes
folding - unfolding and mental manipulation
of shapes and exercises by which geographical
thinking are examined, according to the Greek geography curriculum. By using
SPSSv.23.00 we codified children's answers. The results indicated that the
non-dyslexic students had a better score than the dyslexic ones. The most
significant difference was in the section of plan views and mental rotation,
whereas in the folding and unfolding and shapes mental manipulation, it was found
that both children’s groups faced difficulties. Although
the research sample is limited, which does not allow for generalization of the
conclusions, it was observed that through the students' answers we were led to
conclusions that fully match the theoretical framework.

Keywords

spatial thinking, geography performance, dyslexic students

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